By Sagar V. Mankar Epic Games has officially launched its digital storefront, the Epic Games Store (EGS), on mobile devices.
According to Epic’s press release, the EGS is now accessible worldwide on Android devices. For iOS users, the store is currently limited to those in the European Union, due to regulatory differences across regions.
You can easily download the EGS from the official Epic Games website through the Chrome or Safari browsers.
However, the installation process is a bit more complex due to what Epic describes as “intentionally poor-quality install experiences” introduced by Apple and Google. These involve numerous steps and warnings, making the installation more cumbersome and frightening than it needs to be.
What Games are Available on the Mobile Epic Games Store?
Currently, three games are available on the platform:
- Fortnite: Epic’s popular battle royale game makes its long-awaited return to mobile after being removed in 2020.
- Fall Guys: This well-loved multiplayer party game is now making its mobile debut after PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, and PC run.
- Rocket League Sideswipe: A mobile spin-off of the hit vehicular soccer game.
These games are available globally on Android and on iOS within the EU.
Additionally, EU users can access these games through the AltStore, a third-party platform allowed because of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Epic plans to expand its game offerings by onboarding third-party store partners by December, aiming to drive 100 million new installs of the store across mobile devices.
Related: Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 5, Season 4: Absolute Doom launches.
How does Epic’s revenue model differ from other app stores?
Epic Games is offering developers a significantly more favorable revenue split compared to traditional app stores:
- Epic takes only a 12% cut, leaving 88% for developers.
- Apple and Google typically take a 30% cut from app sales and in-app purchases.
- Developers can keep 100% of revenue if they use their own payment systems.
- Epic offers additional incentives, such as 100% revenue for six-month exclusivity deals and a 5% cashback program called Epic Rewards.
As the gaming industry faces financial challenges, with layoffs and studio closures due to high development costs and global economic slowdown, this alternative app store offers new hope for developers.
It will also benefit gamers by providing more choices, better prices, and cross-platform play.
The story behind Epic’s legal battles with Apple and Google
Epic Games’ mobile platform launch follows years of intense legal battles with Apple and Google. The conflict began in August 2020, when Epic introduced a direct payment system in the Fortnite app, bypassing Apple’s and Google’s store payment mechanisms, which take a 30% commission on in-app purchases. In response, Apple and Google quickly removed Fortnite from their stores, citing guideline violations.
Epic then filed a lawsuit against both companies (separately) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing them of anticompetitive practices and monopolistic behavior.
Epic expanded its legal battle internationally by filing antitrust complaints against Apple in the European Union alleging that Apple has eliminated competition in app distribution and payment processing through its monopolistic practices in the iOS ecosystem.
Similarly, they expanded antitrust complaints against Google in Australia and the United Kingdom, arguing that Google’s practices harm competition on a global scale.
Both companies spent hundreds of millions of dollars on legal fees as Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney stated, “Apple’s had us at $74 million bill for their legal fees. We had legal fees too.”
The court cases resulted in a mixed outcome, with Epic winning most of its battles against Apple in Europe, leading to the current availability of the Epic Games Store on iOS in the EU.
However, this victory is limited to the EU, and in the United States, Epic faced setbacks, losing on all points except one victory concerning “anti-steering rules” against Apple.
Sweeney has expressed frustration with the U.S. regulatory system, stating,
“It’s been a massive failure of the United States regulatory and political system that there’s not a crisp, clean action to stop the monopolization occurring in the United States and in the whole world by a U.S. company. That’s been disheartening to see.”
Sweeney wants to continue the battle as he stated Apple’s continued obstruction of competing stores on iOS in regions outside Europe, the UK, and Japan.
In April, Apple amended its App Store rules to allow video game emulators and virtual machine apps in the store. These changes are seen as a response to ongoing pressure from Epic.
On the other hand, Epic’s legal battle against Google took a different turn. According to Sweeney, their antitrust lawsuit against Google last year was a “total victory.” The case is currently in its remedy stage, potentially leading to significant changes in how Google operates its Play Store.
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